A Parallel Attribute Reduction Method Based on Classification

Parallel processing as a method to improve computer performance has become a development trend. Based on rough set theory and divide-and-conquer idea of knowledge reduction, this paper proposes a classification method that supports parallel attribute reduction processing, the method makes the relative positive domain which needs to be calculated repeatedly independent, and the independent relative positive domain calculation could be processed in parallel; thus, attribute reduction could be handled in parallel based on this classification method. Finally, the proposed algorithm and the traditional algorithm are analyzed and compared by experiments, and the results show that the proposed method in this paper has more advantages in time efficiency, which proves that the method could improve the processing efficiency of attribute reduction and makes it more suitable for massive data sets

Probing behaviors and their plasticity for the aphid Sitobion avenae on three alternative host plants.

Insects may develop different behavioral phenotypes in response to heterogeneous environments (e.g., host plants), but the plasticity of their feeding behaviors has been rarely explored. In order to address the issue, clones of the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), were collected from wheat, and their probing behaviors were recorded on three plants. Our results demonstrated that S. avenae individuals on the alternative plants (i.e., barley and oat) tended to have higher frequency of non-probing (Np), increased duration of the pathway phase, increased phloem salivation, and decreased phloem ingestion (E2), compared to those on the source plant (i.e., wheat), showing the resistance of barley and oat to this aphid's feeding. This aphid showed apparently high extents of plasticity for all test probing behaviors on barley or oat. Positive selection for higher extents of plasticity in E2 duration was identified on barley and oat. The factor 'clone' alone explained 30.6% to 70.1% of the total variance for each behavioral plasticity, suggesting that the divergence of probing behavior plasticity in S. avenae had a genetic basis. This aphid's fitness correlated positively with the plasticity of Np frequency and E2 frequency. Some behaviors and their corresponding plasticities (e.g., the frequency of xylem ingestion and its plasticity) were found to be correlated characters, probably reflecting the limits for the evolution of higher extents of behavioral plasticity in this aphid. The differential probing behaviors and their plasticity in S. avenae can have significant implications for the adaptation and management of aphids on different plants

A Wireless Multisensor Node for Long-Term Environmental Parameters Monitoring

Environmental quality is a great concern to everyone, in order to realize the collection, upload, management, and visualization of parameters of atmospheric environment in real time. We propose a cheap, low-power, and fast deployment wireless sensor node for environmental monitoring, consisting of STM32 MCU, ESP8266, light sensor, rain sensor, UV sensor, seven-in-one sensor (including temperature, humidity, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, formaldehyde, and TVOC), and solar automatic tracking module. A customized μC/OS-III runs on the node, which controls the transmission of environment parameters collected by each sensor to the cloud server through the wireless network, and then the server receives, stores, and visualizes the data. In actual test, the node collects data once an hour, and the running power of the node is low and stable. Experimental results show that the node could achieve accurate collection and transmission and display the environmental data, and solar automatic tracking module could meet long-term running of the node in the night and continuous rainy days

Prognostic Genes of Breast Cancer Identified by Gene Co-expression Network Analysis

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies. The molecular mechanisms of its pathogenesis are still to be investigated. The aim of this study was to identify the potential genes associated with the progression of breast cancer. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to construct free-scale gene co-expression networks to explore the associations between gene sets and clinical features, and to identify candidate biomarkers. The gene expression profiles of GSE1561 were selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. RNA-seq data and clinical information of breast cancer from TCGA were used for validation. A total of 18 modules were identified via the average linkage hierarchical clustering. In the significant module (R2 = 0.48), 42 network hub genes were identified. Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, 5 hub genes (CCNB2, FBXO5, KIF4A, MCM10, and TPX2) were correlated with poor prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve validated that the mRNA levels of these 5 genes exhibited excellent diagnostic efficiency for normal and tumor tissues. In addition, the protein levels of these 5 genes were also significantly higher in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. Among them, CCNB2, KIF4A, and TPX2 were further upregulated in advanced tumor stage. In conclusion, 5 candidate biomarkers were identified for further basic and clinical research on breast cancer with co-expression network analysis

OK-432 (Sapylin) Reduces Seroma Formation After Axillary Lymphadenectomy in Breast Cancer

Purpose/aim: Modified radical mastectomy is the standard surgery for breast cancer in developing countries. However, seroma formation regarded as the most frequent postoperative complication limits the therapeutic benefit of mastectomy and axillary surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of OK-432 in reducing seroma formation after axillary dissection. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 80 patients with advanced breast cancer who underwent modified radical mastectomy. Patients were randomized into two groups, which differed with the OK-432 administration. N = 40 patients per group were treated with either OK-432 plus closed suction drainage or drainage-only. Result: In comparison with the drainage-only group, we found that patients in the OK-432 group had a lower drainage volume (p = .030) and a shorter duration of axillary drainage (p < .01). Besides, the use of OK-432 could reduce the incidence of seroma formation (p < .01) and the volume of seroma (p = .040). There were also significant differences in reducing the chance of evacuative punctures (p = .036) and the healing time (p < .01) between control and OK-432 group. Conclusion: OK-432 not only shortened the suction drainage duration, but also significantly reduced seroma formation as well as the needs for aspiration punctures after modified radical mastectomy

Bioinformatic analysis and identification of potential prognostic microRNAs and mRNAs in thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common endocrine malignancies. Multiple evidences revealed that a large number of microRNAs and mRNAs were abnormally expressed in thyroid cancer tissues. These microRNAs and mRNAs play important roles in tumorigenesis. In the present study, we identified 72 microRNAs and 1,766 mRNAs differentially expressed between thyroid cancer tissues and normal thyroid tissues and evaluated their prognostic values using Kaplan-Meier survival curves by log-rank test. Seven microRNAs (miR-146b, miR-184, miR-767, miR-6730, miR-6860, miR-196a-2 and miR-509-3) were associated with the overall survival. Among them, three microRNAs were linked with six differentially expressed mRNAs (miR-767 was predicted to target COL10A1, PLAG1 and PPP1R1C; miR-146b was predicted to target MMP16; miR-196a-2 was predicted to target SYT9). To identify the key genes in the protein-protein interaction network , we screened out the top 10 hub genes (NPY, NMU, KNG1, LPAR5, CCR3, SST, PPY, GABBR2, ADCY8 and SAA1) with higher degrees. Only LPAR5 was associated with the overall survival. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that miR-184, miR-146b, miR-509-3 and LPAR5 were an independent risk factors for prognosis. Our results of the present study identified a series of prognostic microRNAs and mRNAs that have the potential to be the targets for treatment of thyroid cancer

Parathyroid autotransplantation at a novel site for better evaluation of the grafted gland function: study protocol for a prospective, randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Hypoparathyroidism is one of the most common complications encountered in thyroidectomy. In addition to parathyroid in-situ preservation, parathyroid autotransplantation (PA) is another important remedial method for patients whose parathyroid glands have been removed. However, an accurate evaluation method for the function of a transplanted parathyroid is lacking. Our preliminary study indicated that patients with PA at novel sites near antecubital veins had higher serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Therefore, the main hypothesis is that a grafted site closer to the cephalic vein is more useful for better evaluation of transplanted parathyroid function. This study aims to confirm the more efficient and accurate evaluation system through a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Methods In total, 280 patients will be enrolled in this study and randomly divided into two groups: 140 patients with transplanted parathyroid glands in the traditional sites (group A) and the other 140 transplanted in the novel sites (group B), close to the antecubital veins. The serum concentration of PTH and calcium ion from both forearms will be measured and monitored regularly for 12 months. The primary outcome of this trial will be the survival of grafted glands, defined as the ratio of PTH between the grafted vs. the non-grafted forearms being no less than 1.5. The secondary outcome is hypoparathyroidism, defined as the PTH level from the non-grafted forearms being less than 15 pg/ml (normal range 15–65 pg/ml). Discussion Our results from this study should provide a more accurate method to evaluate the function of transplanted parathyroid glands by comparing PTH concentrations in both the grafted and non-grafted forearms following PA at novel sites. A better PTH measurement is helpful not only for the management of postoperative patients, but also for further identification of factors affecting PA success. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02906748. Registered on 16 March 2016